Scott Co, TN History

Created 1849 from Anderson, Campbell, Fentress, and Morgan counties; named in honor of Winfield Scott
(1786-1866), War of 1812 soldier and commander of U.S. troops at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo and Molino del Rey in
the Mexican War.

	Winfield Scott, head-and-shoulders portrait, three quarters to the right, eyes front in civilian dress. Taken between 1851 and 1860.
Winfield Scott, head-and-shoulders portrait, three quarters to the left, in military uniform. Taken about 1849.

These and other pictures, sound recordings, movies, and documents can be found at the American Memory Historical Collections for the National Digital Library collection from the Library of Congress.

While Scott Co was formed from the other Tennessee counties, you might find additional genealogical information in the Kentucky counties of McCreary, Wayne and Whitley. Why? The Kentucky and Tennessee border, intended to be 36º30', was run too far north in 1779-1800 by Virginia surveyors. Kentucky finally accepted this erroneous Walker Line in early 1820, but significant parts of the boundary remained uncertain until a resurvey completed in 1859, some nine to ten years after the formation of Scott Co. Some settlers in the disputed strip were uncertain in which state they lived.

In the Spring of 1904, the Cumberland Chronicle printed an article titled Reminiscensces of Pioneer Days in Scott County, Tennessee. "Believing that many of our readers would be interested in the manners and customs of our forefathers, who first settled in this part of East Tennessee we have interviewed Uncle Jehu Phillips who is now 86 years old and one of the oldest citizens in this county. "Uncle Jehu" as he is now familiarly called, was when young and active, one of the leading and most influential citizens in this county. Without attempting to use his exact language here is what he had to say. . . ."

See the Cumberland Compact for a transcription of the original 1780 manuscript and the Watauga Petition for a transcription of the original 1776 manuscript. Both documents were key agreements used in forming early Tennessee. They are particularly useful because they can be used in figuring out how some of the very early families first migrated to present day Scott Co, TN.

See Seventy Years in the Coal Mine for a very interesting autobiography by Philip Francis and his life as a coal miner throughout the Appalachians. He spent part of his mining life in the Jellico areas of Scott and Campbell counties of Tennessee.

See "unofficial" Jellico, Tennessee Homepage" for some interesting reading and context for the upper Cumberland area. While Jellico is located in Campbell Co, TN, the close proximity to Scott Co, TN provides for some great historical context. This history first appeared as a series of articles in the Jellico Advance-Sentinel, written at the request of the editor and published in the summer and fall of 1938.

See the Knoxville Welsh Society for history of Welsh settlements in east Tennessee, "Although the predominant Welsh settlements in East Tennessee the 19th Century surrounded Coal Creek (now Lake City), the first Welsh settlement was in neighboring Scott and Morgan Counties."

The Tennessee Blue Book, the official manual of Tennessee state government, includes information on elected officials, the various branches and agencies of state government, historic and statistical data, and election returns.

The Tennessee Library and State Archives (TSLA) is the official libary for the state of Tennessee and contain many resources specific to Scott County.

Scott County, Tennessee
History

This page was last updated 06 Sep 2008

Scott County, Tennessee History

This page was last updated 06 Sep 2008

Scott County, Tennessee
History